A case-study on the effect of averaging duration on RF dosimetry of general public environments

Abstract

Electromagnetic waves can cause undesirable effects on human body. These hazards have forced the related certification bodies such as ICNIRP and IEEE to propose standard limitations on the electromagnetic field levels. However, the current recommended procedures demand to verify the safety compliance of each measurement point based on a lengthy and impractical 6-minute averaging, in addition to spatial averaging, which complicates the procedure of RF dosimetry. Our statistical analysis on the performed experimental indoor and outdoor measurements show that lower time interval of measurements, such as 30 seconds and 60 seconds, predicts the same results in common electromagnetic environments, affected by wireless networks and broadcasting signals. The overall observed difference between 30-second and 6-mintue averaging time length from our reference value is less than 50% respectively in 13.5% and 10% of times, illustrating that there is not a significant difference between 30-seconds and 6-minute averaging. This makes the RF dosimetry procedure much faster, and cheaper while keeping it almost as reliable as before.

Wireless Electromagnetic Radiation Assessment Based on the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR): A Review Case Study

“…Several investigations on how the human body can be severely affected by the exposure of RF electromagnetic fields approved that such a hazard should be dealt with. Here, the effect of the RF energy, and in particular when the standard level is exceeded, can cause numerous health issues [16,17]. These effects depend on many different factors, for instance, the modulation type used, the given frequency, the polarisation characteristics, as well as the distance from the source.…”